Food : Cooking

Atkins Takes On Tribeca To Serve Up New Book

David Bouley’s Test Kitchen located in the trendy TriBeca neighborhood of New York City was the perfect venue for Atkins to promote their new book, “The New Atkins Made Easy” written by New York Times bestseller Colette Heimowitz.

The kitchen could best be described as part library, part culinary school, and part fine-dining experience, which was the perfect location for this soiree. After a meet-and-greet with passed hors d’oeuvres including: Zucchini Parmesan Fritters, Mozzarella Sticks, and Cocktail Shrimp with Lemony Garlic Sauce (which are all appetizer recipes from the book), members of the media were treated to a cooking demonstration by Jennifer Iserloh of SkinnyChef.com, who created the recipes for the new book.

On hand to help her was Atkins celebrity success story Courtney Thorne Smith. The duo delighted the crowd with anecdotes and friendly banter while they demonstrated two of the book’s recipes. For the second recipe, a Deep-Dish Sausage and Cauliflower Pizza, the audience was asked to work in groups of three to make their own pizzas. It was surprising to see that by using a ricer you can coarsely chop cauliflower, which when mixed with one egg and a cup of mozzarella (yeah, you heard me right, cheese is allowed on this weight loss plan) creates a pizza crust that is delicious. Chef Iserloh pointed out that you can make several of these at a time and freeze them for future use.

I had the opportunity to speak with Courtney Thorne Smith about her success on the Atkins diet. The Melrose Place and Two and Half Men star looked stunning in an ultramarine blue pantsuit by Diane Von Furstenberg which she recently purchased from shopbop.com.

When asked if she thinks that the Atkins system is hard to adapt for her family, she simply stated, “How do you adapt recipes for low-carb eating? You take the carbs out!” She also told me that while living the Atkins lifestyle, one can easily eat out by choosing any of the restaurant’s menu options that don’t include carbs. One of her favorite restaurants while visiting the Big Apple is Il Corso in Midtown west on 55th Street, where she always order the Burrata Salad, which is a homemade soft center mozzarella cheese served over heirloom tomatoes and basil. In her, funny, laid back, and unassuming way, she said, “I love it there, they give you a piece of Burrata mozzarella the size of your head!”

After the demonstration, we were treated to a buffet-style luncheon. Skinny Chef, Jennifer Iserloh should be applauded for creating excellent recipes that were delicious and deceivingly decadent. Some of the items on the menu were: Chipotle Shrimp Salad, Buffalo Chicken Salad, Breakfast Casserole, and also the Deep-Dish Sausage and Cauliflower Pizza that we helped make.

On the way out we were surprised with gifts bags that included a whole bunch of goodies, including an advance copy of the book, an awesome salad-on-the-go container, and a bunch of the new Atkins bars and shakes. There was also a “candy” bar where you could help yourself to some new Atkins candies, which are indulgent bite-sized treats that taste and look like regular and peanut M&Ms, except these goodies are only 110 calories and have only 1g of Net Carbs, making them an acceptable treat for any phase of the Atkins Diet.

Stay tuned for my review of the book “The New Atkins Made Easy” by Collette Heimowitz, my review of the diet plan itself, and an in-depth look into how endurance athletes, including many of you marathoners out there, can benefit from switching to low-carb diet such as Atkins. The new book will hit shelves, December 24th, but you can pre-order a copy now!